Clothes-pressing machine



"c. R. NELSON.

CLOTHES PRESSING, MACHINE. APPLICATlON F|LED'APR.4, 11919;

2 SHAEETS-SHEETIL 1,350,379." I w Pa tentedAug. 24,1920.

. INVENTORI Char/es A. Nelson.

c. R. NELSON CLGTHES'PRESSING MACHINE.

- APPLICATI ON HLED APR. "9, EH9. 1,350,379.

Patented Aug. 24, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEEIZ OO O O O O O O 00.0ooooooo00oooooooo 0. 0 O o o o o-oooooQo O O O O 0 0 0 0 O !NVENITOR Uhar/es R Nelson.

ATTORNEY CHARLES It. NELSON, OF SEATTLE, WASTIIIIGTON.

CTZOTHES-PRESSING MACHIHE.

specification of Letters Patent. l g figented Aug, 2% 1920,

Application filed April 4, 1919. Serial No. 287,531.

To whom, it may concern Be it known that 1, CHARLES R. NELSON, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the city of Seattle, county of .hling, end State of \Vashington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clotheslressing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to steam pressing devices, and consists of a pressing machine head which has incorporated therein an electrical heating device whereby the steam employed in pressing the clothes will be delivered dry instead of being mixed with water.

The object of my invention is to provide a pressing head of this kind which will, with certainty, deliver only dry steam and which will be light and convenient to handle. The I features of my invention which I consider new pertain more particularly to the construction of the electrical heating element and the steam distributing parts and their relation to and combination with other parts. This will be exactly defined by the claim.

On the accompanying drawings I show the manner of constructing this pressing head which 1 now prefer to employ.

Figure l is a top plan view of the pressing head with portions thereof broken away so as to show the different layers of the device.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section showing the manner of disposing of the wires in the heating ele ment.

Fig. l is a section taken through the steam distributing chamber.

Fig. 5 is a face View of the bottom of the head, that is of the pressing face.

The casing in which the mechanism of the head is incorporated consists of a lower part 1 and a top or cover part 2. These are se cured together in any convenient manner,

as by the use of cars) and bolts 11. The pressing face 12 is provided with a series of perforations, as 13, through which steam is discharged into contact with the garment being pressed.

As herein shown this pressing face is made slightly concave incross sect-ion. The particular shape and" form of the pressing face is, l10"WGVl,'nOiT2ZIl essential part. of my invention but may be made whatever is desired and found suitable.

dust within and close to the pressing face is the steam distributing chamber. This chamber 2 is formed of two plates 20 and 29 which are slightly separated from each other. At one side they are provided with a steam supply connection, as the pipe 3. The lower plate 20 is provided. with a series of steam discharge openings as 22, these being comparatively few in number and being distributed over the surface of the plate.

As herein shown these openings are formed by punching out a small tongue as 23, which is turned down, and when the parts of the head are all assembled, contact with the inner surface of the pressing face 12. In this manner the plate 20 of the steam distributing chamber is prevented from coming in actual contact with the inner surface of the pressing face.

The space within the steam distributing chamber is divided into parts by means of e sinuously extending partition 24. This partition stops short of each end of the chamber. The steam supply is at one side thereof and preferably adjacent to the center of the length of the chamber. The openings 22 through which the steam is discharged to the pressing face, are located toward the bottom of the sinuosities formed by this partition. The direction of flow of the steam 2 being discharged to the pressing face 12, is indicated by arrows in Fig. 4. By this means the steam is compelled to flow in a somewhat tortuous course before being discharged and is therefore exposed to the heating action of the electric heating element for a greater length of time, thus contributing to insure the delivery only of dry steam.

The electric heating. element is located next above and directly in contact with the upper plate 21 of the steam chamber. This element is, as shown in Fig. 2, composed of two layers at of mica or other similar equivalent material, between which is placed an electrical resistance wire 40. The manner and disposition of this wire may be anything found desirable. One plan of placing this wire is shown in Fig. 3.

This heating element being composed only of two thin plates with a wire between, occupies but little space. Lying against the upper face of the steam distributing chamber the heating is communicated thereto very directly and etliciently.

Next above this heating element, between it and the cover plate 2, is placed a. body of heat insulating material 5. This may be asbestos, magnesia, or any other suitable substance. This type of construction makes a head which. is comparatively thin, light and easy to handle.

The steam supply pipe 3 is provided with a valve by which the supply of steam is controlled. l have indicated this valve as being electrically controlled, the controlling mechanism consisting of a solenoid 6 having its core (30 connected by a link with a crank arm 8 1. WVhen the solenoid is energized it will draw inward the coreiSO and open the valve 30, and as soon as the supply of electricity is cut off the weight of the core will cause the Valve to close. This valve and the application of the electric current through the heating wires 40, may be controlled in any manner desired. I have, however, shown this as being-controlled by means of a switch carried by the handle 7 and controlled by a button 70 mounted on the handle.

I have also shown a switch 8 mounted in one of the feed wires for the electric current and provided with a plurality of con tact points as 8()8182, each of which is supplied with resistance of a different amount, so that,'by shifting this switch to one or the other of the contact points, the intensity of the heating efi'ect produced in the head may be varied. By this expedient and also by the control which is giventby the button 70, the intensity of the heating effect produced may be varied in exact ac cordance with the desires of the operator, also the direct method of heating employed in the head and acting upon the steam immediately before its being discharged upon the cloth,;will insure the delivery at all times of dry steam.

.lVhat I claim as my invention is:

A clothes pressing head'having a perforated pressing face, two slightlyseparated plates adjacent the pressing face, and provided. with a steam supply connection and forming a steam distributing chamber, that one of said plates which is the nearer to the pressin 'face being perforated and spaced from t 1e perforated pressing face, a sinuous partition extending lengthwise of and within the steam distributing chamber, and stopping short of carhend thereof, the perforations leading from the steam distribut- 

